A Mission to the Edge of the Unknown
by TaggertShare
Summary: Harmony takes a Human friend on ride in a Cloud Car. A vehicle capable of multi-dimensional trips. Or just a nice jaunt up to the limits of our atmosphere. It turns into a rescue mission to the edge of Space. Surprise Bear is also along for the unintended rescue mission. A thrilled Human Boy has to help Harmony guide their Craft under manual control. Can Ian earn his Space Wings?


Bedtime Bear felt relaxed as he piloted the Cloud Car up from the planet Earth. Wish Bear stowed the Caring Report she had been working on. They were now be over the night side of the Earth. They would be working under red lighting. Red light does not affect one's vision for working in dim lighting. Thus they would be able to see what was outside their illuminated craft. Together they had fulfilled a Caring Mission to a Country called Canada. Bedtime was enjoying the sight of lifting up through moon lit clouds. Just as soon as the Cloud Car reached near space he would initiate the jump into another dimension. The Fifth Dimension to be exact.

Care Bears and Care Cousins often thought it odd how most Humans could perceive only four dimensions. Care Bears could perceive five. Thus they literally see things differently than Humans. Humans often talked of a Fifth Dimension. It was mentioned in stories, songs, and myths. How surprised most would be to find out there really is a Fifth Dimension. A Dimension that was like a whole new Universe when one could get to it. A Universe that was home to amazing Creatures. Including two distinct types of Bear like Beings. One of those Alien Bear species was the Care Bears.

The original Care Bear and Care Cousin had come from the Earth. However the wish that had been granted to the first True Heart Bear had changed her. It had also changed the small Horse who had been her unlikely friend. Then the Cubs they had adopted had been changed. It was like Evolution on steroids. Each Generation of Care Bears and Care Cousins had looked slightly different in body shape. True Heart IV looked much different than the first True Heart Bear.

They had also been granted unique abilities and traits. Including some which almost seem magical to those who have met a Care Bear or Care Cousin. Such as their ability to utilize a Dimension beyond the reach of most Humans. One way to get there is through Out of Body Experiences. Which is out of the question of for most Mortal Humans. Whether through Out of Body Experiences, the so called Dream elevator, or direct contact one never forgets their first time of meeting a Care Bear. To the average Human the Bears and Cousins could easily be mistaken as real Alien Creatures. Albeit cute ones.

Many of those Bear like creatures believe there to be a Sixth Dimension. Through their Human contacts they had learned Scientists such as Einstein even believed there may be many unknown Dimensions. Some theorized our Universe could be a Multiverse. Many Care Bears and Care Cousins did not want to find out if there were more Dimensions. Traveling through five was difficult enough. Any attempts to jump beyond the known five Dimensions could bring about disaster on more than a personal scale. Thus all Cloud Cars were built with governors to prevent any deliberate or accidental attempt to jump into the great Dimensional Beyond.

They were also meant to be operated within an atmosphere as much as possible. However it was safer and easier to jump from one Dimension to another in a thin atmosphere. Away from ground based interference. So Cloud Cars were made to fly high. Up to the boundries of Space. Cloud Cars were Inter-dimensional Craft. Not deep space craft. Bedtime was climbing on a trajectory which would go over Canada, then over the western United States.

Many miles away from Bedtime's and Wish's craft another was settled down outside a Human home. Inside the home a Boy once again pleaded with his Mother to let him go on an adventure. "Harmony got me back with no problems after the Sadie Hawkins Dance" said Ian as he pointed to a short Bear like Being. His Mother knew who Harmony was. She was unsure as to who the other Bear was.

Ian's Mother pointed out the open door. She pointed to the impression on the lawn. A short time earlier a strange craft sat there in broad daylight. It was still there, only now it was cloaked to keep neighbors from panicking. "But not in a contraption like the thing that was just there" said the Human female. Two Bear like creatures walked up to Ian. Both had fur that was a strange shade of brown. Purple highlights shone when the light struck their fur at a certain angle. The fur that was uncovered, that is. Both Bears had on what looked like leather shirts and pants. Ian's Mother was glad of that. The last time she had met Care Bears they were not wearing their flight suits. Despite their furry bodies it had not been hard to tell which were Boys and which were Girls. Ian's Mother had considered Care Bears to be Nudists of a sort.

However she had quickly accepted that as Care Bear culture. Who was she to judge these amazing Beings. She also noticed what looked like a pin on Harmony's suit. It was a Bear with wings on its back. Harmony noticed where the woman's eyes were focused. "I see you like my Caring in Flight Pin. I earned it doing in flight rescues from a Cloud Car." Harmony now spoke in a sing song tone of voice. "Our Cloud Cars have an exemplary safety record. Ian will be fine as long as he has no real bad fear of flying. I even had a Flight Suit made especially for him. Best Friend Bear guaranteed it one hundred percent!"

The other Bear who had shown up with Harmony held out a strange looking shirt and pants. As Ian took them into his hands he looked amazed. "They look like leather but feel like metal, how awesome!" The other Bear now giggled. Ian had been told by an online friend of a Bear with strange colored fur. A Bear with such a giggle. Just from the giggle he knew this was indeed a female. Her visible fur had even more highlights of an odd purplish brown than Harmony's.

"Now I know who you are" said Ian as he pointed at her. "You must be Surprise Bear. You are just like a Bear an online friend told me about. Have you ever been to the State of Maine?" The Bear grinned and giggled again. She showed Ian the watch like device on her right wrist. "Guilty as charged" she said. "Cheer put a tracking code into my wrist communicator. If I go within a hundred miles of Maine I will earn another Demerit! But what the Heck, it is always worth it!"

Harmony laughed. "Why worry about Demerits. True Heart is reluctant to enforce them. If she did she would have to punish Oopsy. His clumsiness is a blessing in disguise for Bears such as you and Messy Bear."

Ian was trying out the Flight Suit as the Bears talked. "How do I zip it closed" he asked. Harmony laughed. "I keep forgetting you have no Belly Badge powers. Watch this!" Harmony moved her left pointer finger down the front of her suit. It opened revealing a mottled pattern on her belly fur. Then she reached over to the front of Ian's suit. Harmony rubbed her left handpaw over the fur pattern on her belly. Her fur seemed to glow revealing a distinct flower like pattern. With her right she move her pointer finger up the middle of Ian's suit. Its fabric closed as if it were being zippered shut. Ian's Mother was wide eyed as she watched. "You really are more than a Bear" gasped the Boy's Mother.

"Don't be so surprised about what a Care Bear can do" said Surprise. "We had a hard time finding flight boots which would fit a human foot" she said as she removed two unique boots out of a cloth bag. Ian got them on with a little help from the Bears. Now Ian stepped up to his Mother. "Hey Mom, do I look like an Inter-dimensional Space Pilot?" It took a few more minutes of pleading his case. Finally his Mother gave in. If her son could survive car rides with teenaged drivers he should be fine with these awesome Creatures. Besides, she was unsure what would happen if she made them mad.

She looked on in wonder and awe as Harmony uncloaked the waiting Cloud Car. Harmony had pointed a small device to where the lawn was rippled. The air shimmered as an amazing vehicle appeared. A genuine Cloud Car. Despite its name it was no cloud. It appeared to be made of a shiny material. Its windows looked like ordinary glass. "Don't bother trying to get a cell phone photo of it" said Harmony. "It would only mess up your phone's electronics."

Ian was all smiles as he climbed into the right front seat. Harmony buckled him in. Surprise gave him some quick pre-flight safety instructions. Including how to don what looked like a space helmet in case of an emergency at high altitude or near space. "Compared to a boy Care Bear you are a big boy" said Surprise. "This Helmet is an extra large. So are these gloves. In an emergency put them on as soon as you have your helmet on."

"You make for one unusual stewardess" said Ian as Surprise then jumped into the seat behind him. "I hope you find me a good Pilot" said Harmony as she activated the control panel. The windows closed and a loud click came from the doors. There was a slight hissing sound as Ian felt a breeze. Then Ian heard a humming sound and felt the Cloud Car vibrate. He gulped as he thought to himself "well, here I go flying without an airplane!" Then he felt some G-forces as the Cloud Car lifted up. He felt and saw his vest inflate a bit. "This vest must be just like G-suits our Pilots wear" said Ian. The Bear at the controls grinned. "You ain't seen nothing yet" said Harmony. "Wow" yelled Ian as Harmony put the Cloud Car into a steep climb. Ian put both of his hands into the paw grips on each side of his seat. His hands barely fit into them. Within minutes his eyes beheld clouds going past them. Soon no clouds were passing by. Ian gazed in wonder as the sky outside the windows took on a very dark hue. He then turned to look back at Surprise. "The Stars are surprisingly bright with no twinkling!" His words made Surprise nod and grin.

"No matter how many times I see near space I am always amazed" said Harmony. "The view is only for a few minutes. We will soon reach the known safe maximum for altitude. Any further would take us into the great unknown. Our orbit will decay rapidly at this height. Then we will arc down toward the Earth." Ian leaned as close as his safety harness allowed toward the window. "This sure beats T.V." he said as he watched a meteor streak down toward the Earth. From this height the curve of the Earth was easily seen. Ian watched entranced. Suddenly his reverie was interrupted by a loud buzzing sound. "The safety sensors have upped our Deflector Shield to maximum" said Harmony. Ian saw a greenish glow form around them. "The Northern Lights are suddenly surprisingly intense" said Surprise. Ian saw Harmony stare hard at one particular gauge as she adjusted some dials.

Bedtime and Wish got ready for their jump into the Fifth Dimension. Out of the corner of her eye Wish Bear saw a flash. "Wow, I have never seen such intense Northern Lights" said Wish. Unknown to her and Bedtime a Coronal Mass Ejection had occurred on the star known as Sol to Scientists and Astronomy buffs. It was known as the Sun to most others. Within minutes charged atomic particles approached the Earth.

The Earth's Ionosphere deflected many of the charged particles the Sun had spewed out. Luckily for Harmony and her passengers it protected their vehicle from a full solar blast. Their deflector shield also kicked in automatically after the sensors were tripped by ionized particles. The solar shield was normally set at thirty percent to conserve energy. Now it shot up to maximum protection. Unknown to Bedtime there was a fault in the Cloud Car's sensor he and Wish's lives depended on. It should have tripped setting their Solar Shield to maximum. It did not trip.

Bedtime was just reaching for a toggle switch when an alarm sounded. Then another with a slightly different tone. "Oh my stars" gasped Wish as the red interior lighting in the Cloud Car flickered. Bedtime looked alarmed as his eyes scanned dials and gauges. "The deflector shield is still only registering thirty percent" he said as he thumped the console. To his consternation several important gauges went haywire. "You may want to try wishing yourself out of here" he yelled to Wish Bear. "I think whatever caused the bright Northern Lights fried some of our electronics! The Flight Controls aren't responding!"

Wish Bear reached for her emergency helmet. "I would never leave another Bear behind in an Emergency" yelled Wish. She could see Bedtime trying desperately to get what Humans call the Joystick to move. He also appeared to be having no luck with the throttle controls. The female Bear shuddered. She knew without those controls they could never make it home.

Wish leaned toward the console. She flipped up a protective cover unveiling a blinking button. "Should I release the Emergency Beacon pack?" As she felt the Cloud Car shudder her companion yelled "go for it". Just as Wish pushed the button she felt a strange sensation. It felt as if her fur were standing up. Her skin tingled. She got her helmet on just in time. She looked toward Bedtime with great concern. He too had gotten his helmet on. Wish found it difficult to pull her gloves on. "Testing" heard Wish in her left ear as Bedtime checked out his safety gear. Wish saw the lighting of the console's gauges fade out. For some odd reason a song from Earth that Superstar liked to sing ran through Wish Bear's head. It was" Space Oddity", also know as "Major Tom".

Harmony breathed a sigh of relief as the console's gauges and dials returned to near normal. Ian dared not to say anything. Surprise did. "Are all systems go" asked Surprise as she tried to lean forward to see what Harmony was doing. "Our Ion Drive is re-calibrating itself" said Harmony. "It will take a while but we won't need it until we jump back into the Fifth Dimension. It should be fine by then. The same with the Space Rendezvous Guidance computer. Oh, Ian honey, you can breathe now!" Ian let out a big breath in a sigh of relief. Then he said "what's that" as a series of tones came over what looked like a small speaker. Under it a line of what looked like words flashed across a small screen. Below the screen was several rows of small pushbuttons. Harmony's nose seemed to lose some of its color. "That is a Care Bear equivalent to a Human's S.O.S." said Harmony.

Luckily for Bedtime and Wish the back up power pack was functioning. The Auxiliary Power Unit was protected by thick shielding. It activated the emergency internal lighting. It also automatically powered up the emergency broadcast system within their craft. The EBS worked much like a Human texting device. From what she read Harmony knew a disabled Cloud Car could soon re-enter Earth's atmosphere out of control, or drift of into deep space.

Harmony did not like the idea of having to try a risky rescue with Ian aboard. But she had no choice. The lives of her friends were at stake. "Ian, I need your permission to put you at possible risk. We need to perform a Caring Mission to the edge of the unknown." Ian remembered the sight of the Space Shuttle tragedies. He thought how tragic there had been no way to rescue those who perished. They could now make a difference in an emergency. "Let's go for it" yelled the Boy. Harmony reached over and patted his knee. "Ian, you are about to earn your Space Wings!"

Ian could barely feel the Cloud Car change course. Instead it appeared as if the Earth beneath them was moving. "You two keep a lookout for a flashing red light" said Harmony. "Whoever sent that message may have deployed their Emergency Beacon pack." Harmony saw some more words cross the screen. "Oh, I think it may be Wish Bear and Bedtime. I am having a hard time locking on to their signal."

Harmony now pushed buttons on their Emergency Broadcast system. "Gees, it sure is hard to push these small buttons correctly. They will think I am a poor speller." Two other Bears could care less about proper spelling. If their Craft were to drift off into Deep Space it would become their icy tomb. If it re-entered the atmosphere out of control it would be their very brief Funeral Pyre. They now knew they just may have a chance to see tomorrow. From their disabled Craft they scanned space hoping for a glimpse of redemption.

All three of the other craft's occupants scanned Space with wide open eyes. Ian suddenly spotted a red flash. He pointed and said "I see something over there." Harmony adjusted their course and slowed their speed. "Good eyes, Ian" said Harmony as she tried to rendezvous with what looked like a very slowly tumbling Cloud Car. Its Emergency Beacon Pack trailing from a long wire. Then the wire began to draw the pack back toward the Cloud Car. "Good, they know we are here" said Harmony. "Which means they are still alive!"

Harmony peered down a tube like device as she gently moved what looked like a stick shift to Ian. "I can't get a lock on them" muttered Harmony. "The Space Guidance Computer is still balky." Harmony reached over and tapped Ian's knee. She pointed at and then pulled on a handle. A long tube like device like the one she had been peering into earlier extended itself. It came up between Ian's knees. It stopped about eight inches from Ian's face. Ian could see two dials sticking out of each side of it.

"Ian, you are going to be our emergency Navigator! Peer down the tube. You will see what you call crosshairs. Slowly turn each dial trying to keep the crosshairs aimed at the other Cloud Car. That will put our Guidance under what you call Manual Control. When we get close enough you should see what looks like a florescent Gold Star on their Cloud Car. Then keep the crosshairs locked onto that Gold Star if you can." Ian felt a bit nervous. Then he remembered seeing a Sailor in a movie use a radar to guide a ship. "Okay, I mean aye" he said.

Nervously Ian did as told. At first he had a hard time keeping the Crosshairs on the other Vehicle. That's a Boy" said Harmony as she gazed down at what looked like a lighted ball in the instrument panel. It was white on top and black on the bottom. At first it kept moving erratically. Then it steadied as Ian got the hang of moving dials while lining up the crosshairs. "I see the Gold Star" he said. Harmony could see from the stabilizer readings that Ian was doing fine in safely guiding their craft.

Harmony throttled down the rendezvous rockets. "Thank the stars the retro rockets are working properly" she mumbled. Ian felt a thump as the Gold Star blocked out everything else. Harmony hit some switches then let out a big sigh of relief. "You can relax now, Navigator! We are hooked up to Cloud Car Zero Zero Seven. Well done!" Surprise Bear tapped Ian's left shoulder. "For a Human you are a surprisingly good Navigator. Most Humans don't see as well as we Care Bears."

"Thanks" said Ian as he watched words flash across the texting screen. "I was afraid of this" said Harmony. "Our orbits are decaying rapidly. I will have to de-pressurize our Cloud Car. You are about to see two Care Bears attempt a Space Walk, Ian. Put on the helmet Surprise demonstrated to you. You may feel a bit claustrophobic. Just breathe as naturally as possible. The helmet works by turning your breath back into oxygenated air. In doing so it generates heat, which keeps the helmet warm in the cold near vacuum of Space. Then put on your gloves. Get your gear on too, Surprise."

With a little difficulty Ian got the Helmet on. "Testing" he heard Harmony's voice say in his left ear. "Testing" he heard Surprise's voice say. "Uh, testing" said Ian as he pulled on his gloves. They instantly clung to the sleeve openings of his suit, as if there was glue or Velcro there to seal everything tight. Ian did feel a little breathless. It felt as if he could not get enough air. He closed his eyes and forced himself to relax. He got his breathing under control. His suit felt even tighter than before. "How are you doing, Ian" he heard Harmony ask. "Ah, fine now" said Ian. "It felt hard to breathe at first. I have the knack of it now."

"Good" said Harmony. "I am de-pressurizing now." Ian felt the cuffs of his flight suit tighten even more around his wrists and ankles. Harmony looked down at the texting screen. "They are abandoning ship" she said over the helmets radio. "Look at that" said Ian as he pointed. What looked like two windshields popped off the disabled Cloud Car. A flash was seen as an object shot toward the Cloud Car holding the wide eyed Ian. It attached itself to the outer hull of their Cloud Car. A wire stretched from it to the disabled vehicle. Then two suited figures emerged from the disabled Cloud Car. Harmony activated another button. "Emergency hull paw grips extended" she said. "You two get ready to hold on tight to your paw grips" said Harmony. "Make sure your seat straps are tight. Our internal gravitational field generator is now off. I am opening the left rear door. It will be Space inside of here in a moment! Get ready to help haul the Space Walkers in, Surprise."

Ian gasped in spite of himself as he saw the door across from Surprise slowly open. He felt a tug as what little air was left in their Craft shot out into space. He felt his Butt float off his seat a bit. His arms felt as if they were lifting up on their own. He sure was glad to be buckled in tight! He then watched as two figures emerged from the other Cloud Car. They carefully grabbed each hull Paw Grip as they slowly made their way from one ship to another. Each had a safety harness they had attached to the cable stretched from vehicle to vehicle. They were moving their safety harness along with them. Despite her fear Wish Bear looked around to see the Stars from an oh so unique perspective.

As Surprise looked out the open door across from her she said "quid, clarius, astris!" Harmony looked back at Surprise. "Say what" said Harmony. Surprise giggled. "It is the saying on my Human friend's Scottish Clan Crest" said Surprise. "In the Earth language of Latin it means how clear the stars". Ian heard a voice in his left ear he had never heard before. At the same time he saw a figure crawling into the open door. "How appropriate" he heard a female voice say. "Sure is" a male voiced said as Surprise helped the intrepid space walking Bears get in the now crowded rear of the Car. Their emergency helmets radios had automatically locked in to the new frequency of their rescuers Cloud Car.

Harmony looked back into the rear of the Cloud Car. Then sighs of relief echoed in everyone's ears as Harmony's voice said "external paw grips retracted. Safety harnesses released. Doors are sealed, re-pressurizing!" Ian looked back as Surprise and the other two Bears got re-positioned. He saw one of the new occupants strap themselves into the seat. Then hold on tight to the other Bear. Harmony was heard to laugh. "No fooling around back there" she said. "Oh, we can all take off our helmets and gloves. We have full pressurization."

Harmony removed hers and then reached over to help Ian. As he got his helmet off Ian took a deep breathe. "I can breathe again" he said. "You are not he only one" said a female Bear as she got hers off. "Hi, I am Wish Bear. I wish we hadn't had to spoil your ride. This here is Bedtime Bear."

"Thanks for letting us hitch a ride" said the other Bear in a Bass tone of voice. Ian was speechless for a moment. "Glad to meet" you he finally gasped out.

"Every one get ready for the ride down" said Harmony. Just then a voice was heard over the radio. "True Heart here. Always There Bear intercepted Emergency Broadcast signals. Would any Bear care to let me in on what is going on?"

"Sure" Harmony radioed back. After some explaining she then said "you will need to get me a new Caring in Flight Pin. I do believe a certain Human deserves to wear one! His name is Ian." Before Ian could say a word another voice came over the radio. "Cheer Bear speaking. That is one amazing tale of a rescue from the confines of a Cloud Car. Give Ian your Pin. I hereby Deputize Ian as an Honorary Human Care Cousin. He is also an official Cloud Car Navigator. When you get back on the ground give Ian a Bear Hug and Nose Rub for me!"

Ian heard Surprise Bear laugh. "It is surprising that Humans like Bear Hugs!" Then Ian felt a strange sensation as Harmony began re-entry. Miles below them Humans pointed in awe and wonder. Believing they were seeing a meteor. In that "meteor" two very happy Bears hugged each other. Knowing they were going to get to live for many many years to come. Also inside was a very happy Human Boy. He was truly living an adventure of a lifetime. Harmony grinned as she heard Ian say "I wish I was a Care Bear". Surprise Bear laughed. "Be careful what you wish for!" Wish Bear blushed, "Hey" she said, "sometimes my wishes don't backfire!"

Down on the ground below them a Human female paced anxiously. She gasped as she heard a strange sound. Then the spot on the ground she had been told to stay clear of swirled with dust, leaves, and other debris. The air shimmered as once again a strange craft sat there. Heat could be felt emanating from it. Then doors opened as five figures emerged. Ian stood on shaky legs for a moment. Then he got his ground legs back. As his Mother rushed up she said "you were gone longer than you said it would be." Then she realized something was different.

The strange looking Craft had three occupants when it left. "Who are you and where did you come from" she asked what looked like a short female Bear. "Well, technically from Care a Lot" said a Bear with strange greenish highlights in her grey fur. "However I was just rescued from a disabled Cloud Car. As was my cohort, that boy Bear over there." She pointed to another Bear with bluish highlights in his grey fur. "His name is Bedtime Bear. I am Wish Bear."

"Glad to meet you" said the other Bear. "I assume you are the Mother of our Human rescuer." Ian's Mother looked perplexed. "Rescuer" she said in a puzzled voice. Ian stepped up to her. He stood tall and proud like a Military Man back from a special mission. He pointed to the pin once worn by Harmony. "I helped fly the Cloud Car for real!" Harmony now gave Ian the Care Bear equivalent of a salute. She faced him. She put her right handpaw over her Heart. Her left on the tip of her nose. Then she turned to the astonished woman. "Your son is one Heck of a Navigator! He helped guide our craft in rescuing the occupants of another. Someday when he is old enough I just may try to convince him to become a Human Care Bear. Heck, he is ten times the Navigator a certain Care Cousin Raccoon is!"

Ian saw his Mother's face go white for a moment. He thought she just may faint. Then she recovered her wits. "Well, I guess I can't punish you for being late" she said. "I am also proud you helped others. However it may be a while before I let you fly off with Bears again!" Ian stepped up to her and fingered his Caring in Flight Pin. "But Mom! I am duty bound to help them."

Harmony laughed. "Bears will be Bears and Boys will be Boys. However Ian will soon be more than a Teen Cub, I mean Boy. When he is you had better watch out. This Bear and others may want to recruit him to help fly the next generation Deep Space Care Ship. With it our kind hopes to spread the cause of Caring throughout the Cosmos. Perhaps even into unknown Dimensions. We will need intrepid Navigators to lead the way!"

A Human woman sighed as she saw a grin on her son's face. Ian's face was beaming as he daydreamed of helping Bears fly off to other Worlds and Dimensions. He, a mere Human, leading the way from a Navigation Station. One of Human Kinds few representatives aboard a unique vessel. Surrounded by amazing intelligent Bears and other Beings. Surprise tapped the woman's shoulder. "Oh, next time we will bring Daydream Bear. Ian will really get a kick out of her!"

"Or a kick out of the Bear Hug and nose rub Cheer said to give him" said Harmony as she did indeed hug Ian. There was nervous laughter as Ian's Mother said "I don't know if I can bear a next time!" Surprise grinned as Harmony was nose to nose with Ian. Surprise then said something a certain Human Mother would never forget. "Don't be surprised if you have to bear many next times in the years ahead!"


End file.
